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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2008, p. 6437-6443, Vol. 74, No. 20
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01194-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization and Deposition of Respirable Large- and Small-Particle Bioaerosols {triangledown}

Richard J. Thomas,1* Daniel Webber,1 William Sellors,1 Aaron Collinge,1 Andrew Frost,1 Anthony J. Stagg,1 Stephen C. Bailey,1 Pramukh N. Jayasekera,1 Rosa R. Taylor,1 Steve Eley,1 and Richard W. Titball2

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JQ, United Kingdom,1 School of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QU, United Kingdom2

Received 29 May 2008/ Accepted 12 August 2008

The deposition patterns of large-particle microbiological aerosols within the respiratory tract are not well characterized. A novel system (the flow-focusing aerosol generator [FFAG]) which enables the generation of large (>10-µm) aerosol particles containing microorganisms under laboratory conditions was characterized to permit determination of deposition profiles within the murine respiratory tract. Unlike other systems for generating large aerosol particles, the FFAG is compatible with microbiological containment and the inhalational challenge of animals. By use of entrapped Escherichia coli cells, Bacillus atrophaeus spores, or FluoSphere beads, the properties of aerosols generated by the FFAG were compared with the properties of aerosols generated using the commonly available Collison nebulizer, which preferentially generates small (1- to 3-µm) aerosol particles. More entrapped particulates (15.9- to 19.2-fold) were incorporated into 9- to 17-µm particles generated by the FFAG than by the Collison nebulizer. The 1- to 3-µm particles generated by the Collison nebulizer were more likely to contain a particulate than those generated by the FFAG. E. coli cells aerosolized using the FFAG survived better than those aerosolized using the Collison nebulizer. Aerosols generated by the Collison nebulizer and the FFAG preferentially deposited in the lungs and nasal passages of the murine respiratory tract, respectively. However, significant deposition of material also occurred in the gastrointestinal tract after inhalation of both the small (89.7%)- and large (61.5%)-particle aerosols. The aerosols generated by the Collison nebulizer and the FFAG differ with respect to mass distribution, distribution of the entrapped particulates, bacterial survival, and deposition within the murine respiratory tract.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JQ, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (01980) 613199. Fax: 44 (01980) 614307. E-mail: rjthomas{at}dstl.gov.uk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 22 August 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2008, p. 6437-6443, Vol. 74, No. 20
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01194-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Thomas, R. J., Webber, D., Collinge, A., Stagg, A. J., Bailey, S. C., Nunez, A., Gates, A., Jayasekera, P. N., Taylor, R. R., Eley, S., Titball, R. W. (2009). Different Pathologies but Equal Levels of Responsiveness to the Recombinant F1 and V Antigen Vaccine and Ciprofloxacin in a Murine Model of Plague Caused by Small- and Large-Particle Aerosols. Infect. Immun. 77: 1315-1323 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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